ISCC ADMINISTRATORS INTENTIONALLY ENDANGERING BOTH STAFF AND INMATE POPULATIONS BY ALLOWING QUARANTINED PRISONERS TO MINGLE WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE QUARANTINE AREA

On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, the ISCC began (re)testing prisoners for the coronavirus. According to medical staff, all prisoners on the units being tested would be locked down until results of the tests came back, and those prisoners who tested positive would be quarantined in their cell (along with their cell partner - whether or not the cell partner tested positive).

While "Quarantine" signs popped up on a few cell doors a couple days later, and medical staff confirmed that all tests were back, entire tiers remained locked down - except for a few inmates who were allowed to leave the unit to work in various areas of the facility. Without explanation as to why the lockdown continued, frustration levels among the inmate population increased.

In an email to unit staff a week after the lockdown, ISCC Lieutenant Nicodemus explained that the reason that prisoners were still on lockdown (and only allowed out of their cells - one cell at a time - 20 minutes per day, and only then after midnight in many cases) was that ALL prisoners on a tier/walk are considered quarantined where there was even a single inmate who tested positive. According to the email, the lockdown will continue for two (2) weeks after the last positive test was returned. This is said to be in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

Although the logic in the lieutenant's email is sound, the significant and fatal flaw in the logic is this: inmates who are housed on tiers and walks which have verified cases COVID-19 are being released (breaking quarantine) to work in areas with other inmates and staff - jobs which are not essential to the orderly or safe operation of the facility. Either allowing these workers to leave their tiers is placing other prisoners and staff in danger of contracting the virus by breaking the quarantine, OR there is no need to keep hundreds of prisoners who have not tested positive locked in their cells with no opportunity to have dayroom, video visits, telephone calls, recreation, even showers.

Logic to ISCC Administrators --- Pick one. The hypocrisy is killing me.